19) The Vaynol Estate, Port Dinorwic and the Padarn Railway
The lane leading down to the mainland side of the Britannia Bridge passes beneath the now-defunct
Bangor and Caernarfon branch railway by a very low and narrow bridge that was the cause of severe access
problems for the fire appliances on the night of the fire. A short distance up the line to the south, where
fine views were to be had from the trains, lies Treborth Station, a stopping place which was to be “provided
and continually manned” by the railway company, and which thus needed an Act of Parliament to close it.
This occurred in 1952, long after it had ceased to be of much use to the local populace. Beyond, the twin
bores of Vaynol tunnel burrow beneath a corner of Vaynol Park, whose long, high boundary wall is also a
prominent feature along the main road to Caernarfon. This was the country seat of the Assheton-Smith
family, who owned much land to the south and west of Bangor including Snowdon itself, the Dinorwic
Slate Quarries and the village of Port Dinorwic. The park contains much of architectural interest; the
Elizabethan Old Hall (1604) and its Georgian successor, both occupied; two chapels and the Home Farm
with its fine great barn (1605) surmounted by a Victorian clock tower. Our pictures show, below left, the
magnificent entrance gates to the main driveway from the Bangor - Caernarvon Road (photo: DVM) and
(right) the Old Hall…….
Here is the newer Hall, and the Great Barn……
The general aura of self-sufficiency is completed by the Dairy, Forge, servant’s barracks, stables and
carriage house, kennels for greyhounds, acres of excellent deer park and numerous coverts where the local
gentry indulged in frequent foxhunts. Animal cages and “runs” behind the Estate Office and a bear pit in
front of the Old Hall remain to remind us of the eccentricities of Sir Charles Garden Assheton Smith (1851-
1904). His Grand National winning racehorses which gave their names to several of the small Dinorwic
steam locomotives were favoured with luxuriously appointed stables, still maintained in excellent
condition. This estate, as yet unspoilt by public opening, is a well-preserved example of how the Victorian
landed gentry provided for themselves, and has altered little over the decades. A scheme for the
establishment of a safari park and tourist railway complex in 1972 was not proceeded with, but the park is
occasionally open for public inspection when events such as charity garden parties are held.
We have already seen the benevolence that enlightened
landowners could extend towards their tenants and workmen
in the farms and cottages of the Penrhyn Estate; likewise
those of Vaynol with their own distinctive architecture may
still be noted over a large area of the Caernarfon hinterland.
The principal intermediate station on the Bangor &
Carnarvon Railway was in the village of Port Dinorwic.
Immediately behind the Halfway House Inn stands the first
station building, open only from 1852 to 1875 and now a
private dwelling house. The large yellow-brick structure
which replaced it was more centrally situated (528677) and since the closure of the line has been used as a
builders merchant’s office. Both stations are now threatened by road improvement schemes that are
gradually swallowing up the remnants of the old railway route, closed in 1970 but used for a period during
1972 in connection with the repairs to the Britannia Bridge. The only other building of interest in the
village itself is the old-established foundry and ironmongery known as “Arvonia”, a name still prominently
borne by most of the Victorian cast iron lavatory cisterns in the houses of Port Dinorwic.
The principal importance of the village was however established some time before the coming of the
railway, as the seaward outlet for the products of the Dinorwic Slate Quarries until their demise in 1969.
The workings of this giant
concern are situated on the
slopes of Elidir Fawr (595605)
beside Llyn Peris at Llanberis,
seven miles inland, and were
commenced on an organized
basis in 1789. At this time
slates were brought down to the
ships in carts operated by
contractors. A special new road
was laid out in 1809 and
thereafter maintained by the
company, in response to
growing complaints about
damage caused to the public
highway. For the most part this
formed the basis of the later
B4547, straight and direct. A
horse tramway similarly worked
by contractors was built in
1824. This was, however, short
lived, being replaced by the 4
ft-gauge Padarn Railway only nineteen years later. Our map
shows both the tramway and the
railway, with their key
features…..
The Port was also served by a siding from the standard gauge Bangor & Carnarvon Railway from
construction in c1857 until 1961, the year in which transport of slates by the Padarn Railway ceased. When
the slate company passed into liquidation the quays, which had been laid out in 1793 and considerably
enlarged by Thomas Assheton-Smith in 1828, were redeveloped as a yachting and holiday home complex;
even so there is much to remind of their former use.
The quarry concern, as its parent estate, was noted for its self-sufficiency: the workshops with adjacent
dry dock (527679) not only maintained its own fleet of steamships but also undertook outside contract
work: complete vessels such as the 825 ton “Ordovic” of 1877 were constructed at the Port. Included in
this group of buildings are the foundry, boilermakers shop and locomotive shed for the quay shunting
engines; all are now somewhat woebegone. Our pictures show, left, a general view of the workshops and
steel gate of the dry dock, circa 1955 by Victor Mills, son of the former dock manager, courtesy of David
Mills, and (right) a commercial postcard view of the workshops interior, circa 1905…..
A large Smith steam crane, last worked in the early sixties,
still stands beside the dry dock which it helped to construct
circa 1880 (photo right, DVM). Gas lamps bearing the
monogram “DQ” may be seen on the way round to further
extensive slate quays on the seaward side, where are also the
buildings of the old Vaynol Estate Yard and the remains of
Port Dinorwic Gasworks, largely demolished. “Plas
Dinorwic”, pleasantly set in trees and now the offices of the
development company, had the same role under the old
regime. Our picture below right shows the fine motor yacht
“Cordelia” moored on the north side of the quays, with Plas
Dinorwig off to the left, behind the trees, and below are two
further images by Victor Mills on the slate quays, the first
being one of the slate barrows used to load ships (upturned
here)…..
The 1824 horse tramway to the quarries left the
port along the north side of the river bank, and one
portal of the tunnel which carried it under the main
road by the church (533683) may still be entered
(photo right)…..
A hundred yards back towards the village the
L&NWR standard gauge siding passed beneath the
same road: its “Cross Bridge” is unusual in that it
consists of five separate narrow arches, staggered to
achieve the necessary skew angle, and it is thus best
viewed from underneath. The third railway access
to the port was via a tunnel under the road near the
old station, the portal of which lies behind the former checker’s office on the quay (now the chandlery
shop, with distinctive patterned slate roof), the 4 photos below taken by Victor Mills at various dates in the
1950s and 1960s, courtesy of David Mills…...
Inside the tunnel, as seen here the dual 2 ft gauge line started to
rise on a 1 in 4 inclined plane, later crossing the Caernarfon railway
on its way up the hillside.
The 4 ft-gauge Padarn Railway proper terminated at Penscoins
(531678), at the head of the incline, where the narrow-gauge quarry
trucks were unloaded from transporter wagons for the last part of the
journey down to the quay. The derelict winding drum house (picture
right, looking towards the incline) is surrounded by workmen’s
cottages; one of these “Clock Cottage” once carried a large dial which could be observed from within the
trans-shipment shed by means of the curious spy-hole bored right through its 2 ft thick wall.“Coach House”
was converted from what was formerly the shed for the opulent officials’ saloon carriage of 1896 which is
now on display at Penrhyn Castle.
Around the corner further up the line is
another shed for the locomotive and four
workmen’s carriages, with water tank and
coal stage outside (picture right; the former
main railway route is on the left).
From here Vaynol Hall is clearly visible
in the trees about two miles distant, and a
special train could be summoned by its
occupants by the hoisting of a flag. When
the train was ready, another flag was
deployed on the pole which used to be
situated atop the coal stage structure; a very
unusual feature for a locomotive depot.
The Dinorwic Quarries Railway (often, but erroneously, referred to as the Padarn Railway) was a
smartly run concern, with the track fenced off and properly signed; a collection of typical notices is shown
below and several examples are now on display in the Penrhyn Castle museum…..
The Dinorwic workmen’s train ran from 1896
to 1947. Carriages were attached and detached at
each main station, where they were then
manhandled into a storage shed by the workmen.
At Pontrhythallt (548637) note the long
platform and shed to house nine carriages, this
being the principal intermediate stopping place.
A further quarter of a mile up the line towards
Llanberis, the former railway office and cottages
survive as a reminder that this was the halfway
point of the route, where horses were changed in
the short period prior to the introduction of
locomotive working (1843-49).
Derelict buildings at Crawia (536643) were school-slate mills with waterwheels powered by the
adjacent river. They were served by sidings from both the Padarn Railway and the adjoining L&NWR
Llanberis branch as well as having their own internal 2ft gauge rail system.
Relics of the original 1843 railway track system can be found along the route at various places, with
stone-block sleepers often re-used for walling. One very complete survival is this length of double-head rail
in chairs, attached to stone blocks, serving as a
rudimentary stream bridge handrail about ¼ mile
west of Penllyn Bridge (photo right)……
The last stopping place for the workmen’s train
before the quarries was at Penllyn where the short
platform has been severed by the new road. Just
beyond, the old road still crosses the line on
Penllyn Bridge, whose girders carry the familiar
legend “De Winton and Co. Carnarvon 1870”
(picture below).
Just east of this bridge, the railway crossed the minor
Fachwen road on the level, with the characteristic
crossing gates and keeper’s hut remaining…….
The last two miles of the Padarn Railway
run along a slate causeway beside Llyn Padarn,
as seen here in 1970…….
Shortly afterwards the present narrow gauge
Rheilffordd Llyn Llanberis (Llanberis Lake
Railway) tracks were laid along here, firstly to Cei
Llydan station, then later extended to Penllyn
crossing. A noticeable detour is apparent where the
Padarn Railway route ventures out into the lake on
tipped slate waste east of Cei Llydan station.
Before 1915 the line here curved inland following
the original shore, and may still be easily traced. At
(577613) an incline ascended to serve the workings
of Vaynol quarry, a late Victorian satellite of
Dinorwic. 200 yards further east, the extensive buildings by the Afon Wen stream used to be a woollen mill, with a large waterwheel.
The present railway enters the environs of the Dinorwic
Quarry proper under a high slate archway which once gave access
to a lakeside waste tip. In the transhipment yard (now the main
passenger station) narrow-gauge wagons were loaded four at a
time onto 4 ft gauge main line transporter trucks for conveyance
down to the Port; the present booking office housed the official
who checked the loads. The only known surviving Dinorwic
transporter wagon is in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at
Towyn, Merioneth (photo right)……
The small engine shed nearby (beside the old
tunnel portal) has had an interesting history. Built
around 1870 to house the first narrow-gauge quarry
steam locomotives, it became redundant in the
1880’s and was then established as the company
museum, which lasted until the demise of the quarry
in 1969. The principal exhibit was the first Padarn
Railway steam locomotive, the “Fire Queen” of
1848, which was installed in 1890, but is now on
view at the Penrhyn Castle Museum. In the early
1970’s the shed reverted to its original use for the
maintenance of narrow-gauge locomotives owned by
Messrs Hills & Bailey Ltd, but recent CEGB
operations have forced the removal of most of these
elsewhere.
Three of the R.L.L. locomotives
operating along the lakeside in summer
originally worked in the quarries;
Hunslet of Leeds built 0-4-0 saddle tanks
“Dolbadarn”, “Wild Aster” and “Elidir”
are derivatives of the original 1870
design and are kept in the former quarry
engineering workshops (586603). Our
picture shows the last steam locomotive
to work in the quarries, “Holy War”
under repair in the workshop in early
1969……
This loco shed and repair shop forms
part of a vast complex built in 1870 in
the style of a Canadian Frontier Fort, to
cater for all the varied needs of the quarry and its workmen. The buildings with much of their original
equipment were rescued from certain oblivion by the county council in 1970 and are now open as a
splendid museum of the North Wales slate quarrying industry. These six pictures are by David Mills, the
third showing, to the left hand side, the former Port Dinorwic steam crane mentioned above.…..
The foundry, pattern shop, machine shops and saw mill derived power from a massive 50 ft 5 in diameter
De Winton Waterwheel erected in 1870 but superseded by a Pelton high-pressure turbine in 1925. The old
wheel has however survived and may soon be restored to working order. It is of notable design having an
outside ring gear to transmit the drive to the line shafting. This was once a fairly common arrangement in
works such as these where the driven load could be extremely variable, since the thrust on the main axle
was considerably reduced from that in the usual direct-drive layout found in corn mills. The workshop
equipment consisting of large lathes, milling machines etc can still be driven from the Pelton wheel, and is
occasionally demonstrated in the summer months.
Also now housed in the museum are displays relating to slate sawing, splitting, dressing and marketing,
incorporating equipment brought in from the main quarry and elsewhere. An especially interesting
exhibition is that of some of the gruesome equipment used in the quarry hospital.
The old hospital building itself is situated in the
trees overlooking the lake (picture right), behind and to
the west of the main workshop complex. Here the
injuries of the quarry’s one-time 3,000 employees
were treated, a facility necessitated by such hazardous
work as hand drilling and preparation for blasting with
gunpowder upon sheer rock faces.
What is now the “Glan-y-Bala” guest house,
situated in the midst of the quarries, was formerly the
manager’s residence, and the railway tunnel previously
noted provided access without the inconvenience of smoke
from the engines spoiling his grand view. In 1896 a
diversionary line was built on reclaimed land on the lake
shore, alongside the present road, and the tunnel has lain
disused ever since.
With the former quarry works site now transformed by
the Lake Railway and the Quarrying Museum, here is a
reminder of what the yard looked like in 1966, at the point
where the diversion line from the main quarry passes by the
workshop entrance (off to the left). The lake railway station
is now straight ahead, in the background…….
And lastly, left, are a door and side panel from one of the 4’
gauge workmen’s carriages, retained by workshop staff like many
other long-discarded items in the hope they would one day be of
some use, in this case perhaps as toilet doors up in the quarries!
Keith A. Jaggers November 1978
Updates – February 2012
Treborth station house survives as a private residence, but most of the route of the L&NWR
Caernarfon branch line from here to the outskirts of Port Dinorwic has been obliterated. The twin Vaynol
tunnels no doubt still exist, but the approach cuttings are choked with trees and undergrowth and appear
totally inaccessible.
After the death of Sir Michael Duff Assheton-Smith in 1980, the Vaynol estate was sold to a
development company, and is occasionally open for special events, most notably Bryn Terfel’s popular
annual open-air music festival, but not yet to the general public. It is a well-preserved example of how the
Victorian landed gentry provided for themselves, and has altered little over the decades, but sadly the Old
Hall is in need of extensive repair and renovation. There are over 30 listed buildings and structures within
the park. The Great Barn area is accessible from the public road leading down to Faenol beach (National
Trust) car park.
Port Dinorwic (old) railway station house survives as a private residence. The “new” station (picture
below left, in 2007) is a listed structure, now fully renovated and once more cared for in commercial use.
The “Arvonia” ironmongers shop is also listed and renovated, but still awaits new tenants after several
years (right; both pictures by DVM).....
The former L&NW railway route from just north of Port Dinorwic is now a good footpath and
bridleway, running past both stations and joining up with the Lon Las Menai cycle etc greenway south of
the village. This latter continues along the former railway line as far as the northern outskirts of
Caernarfon.
On the former slate quays, the foundry and workshop area has been cleared and landscaped; the Dry
Dock has lost its gates and is now used for general mooring; it is a listed structure. Elsewhere on the site,
most of the water frontage is now regrettably private to the many new apartments and houses. On the north
side, the old Plas Dinorwig building is now incorporated into a hotel, much altered and modernised
The old Dinorwic Tramway tunnel under the main road by the church has been completely filled in.
The standard-gauge “Cross Bridge” survives, and a narrow road now drops down to the former rail level
on the south side, following its route for a short distance before turning sharp right to pass under the main
railway route, the small wooden overbridge here now carrying the footpath only.
The tunnel mouth on the incline down from Penscoins has been blocked off at the quay end, and the
adjacent checker’s office despite being listed appears to have been so much rebuilt and altered as to be
completely unrecognisable nowadays. The old pedestrian steps access down from the main road to the quay
hereabouts is still in use. An access road now runs up the site of the incline, beyond the former tunnel, for a
short distance and communicating with the footpath on the L&NW railway route.
The winding house, saloon coach shed and cottages at the incline top were obliterated by the Port
Dinorwic by-pass road constructed in the 1980s. The former locomotive and workmen’s train shed
however survives, complete with its coaling stage, as a listed structure, as do the railwaymen’s cottages and
adjacent little road bridge at Penscoins. The long Pontrhythallt carriage shed structure is also still
standing, latterly in agricultural use but now woefully derelict. The lane running past it leads to the isolated
community of Craig y Dinas, which is virtually unchanged over the last forty years.
The former Crawia corn mill and slate works site is now in commercial use, with some original
buildings.
The Llanberis Lake Railway continues to thrive, and has extended its line beyond the quarry museum
station for approx ¼ mile to terminate near the main Llanberis village car parks. The Cei Llydan
intermediate stop is popular, with a pleasant lakeside picnic site and a network of woodland footpaths
exploring the older quarry, railway and mill remains. The three original Dinorwic locomotives continue to
run regularly, but the names of two have been changed; “Red Damsel” is now “Elidir”, in a red livery
approximating to the original style, and “Wild Aster” is now “Thomas Bach”. Other visiting locomotives
may be in use from time to time.
At the far end of the main visitor site at Gilfach Ddu, a footpath now climbs up over the high slate arch
over the lake railway, and up to the Quarry Hospital building, now fully restored and open to the public
with extensive displays including all relevant artefacts which were formerly kept in the main museum and
many others. The former “Fire Queen” shed still stands beside the old tunnel, with Glan y Bala house and
annex above now available to let as holiday accommodation.
The North Wales Quarry Museum is now well established and popular in the former Dinorwic Quarry
workshops complex, with numerous new exhibits added, but still very many interesting items remain
hidden away in storage. The massive original waterwheel has been restored to full working order and once
again powers machinery in the workshops, much of which is demonstrated regularly. Our more recent
pictures show some scenes on the Lake Railway and around the museum complex.....
The left hand view above shows some beautifully-restored standard-pattern Dinorwic slate wagons, with
the foot of the main quarry inclines just visible in right background – we will explore these and beyond in
the next section. The right hand picture in the workshops yard reflects that the museum now represents all
quarrying activities in North Wales, not just that of Dinorwic, with wagons from Croesor and the Blaenau
Ffestiniog area on view, also a Penrhyn Quarry Railway open workmen’s carriage on the right.